Essential voice tremor

Essential voice tremor is a neurological disorder that causes a regular wavering of the voice, not unlike an exaggerated singer’s vibrato, except that it occurs during speech as well as during singing. This disorder is one subtype of a neurological disorder called essential tremor, and it should be distinguished from another neurological disorder that sometimes includes a tremor component and consequent wavering in the voice: laryngeal dystonia. Essential tremor and dystonia are two separate neurological disorders. The tremor caused by essential tremor tends to be more consistent and steadily rhythmic than the tremor sometimes caused by dystonia. For more on how to distinguish the tremor manifestations of these two classes of disorders, see dystonic tremor of the voice or larynx.